Korea

Kimchi is the Korean national food and they eat it at nearly every meal. There 180 different types, made from cabbage or radishes. Not the little red radishes common in the states. These are white and about the size of my head. The most common I've tasted is quite spicey, with lots of red pepper. These are kimchi pots. Women get together in the fall and early winter, make buckets of the stuff and store it in these containers, which keep it fresh all winter. They even have kimchi refrigerators.





Korean food has a plethora of side dishes ranging from seafood, noodles, and rice to the ubiquitous kimchi.















These are photos of 2 Korean traditional dances. The traditional clothing is beautiful and the dancers are graceful.


I just love the Korean people I've met. Such politeness and generosity. Even the children. I was sitting at the counter at Lotteria (the Korean version of McDonalds) eating my bulgogi burger, when this cute little boy sat down next to me. He was about 1 1/2 years old and eating a vanilla ice cream cone. He just sat there and stared at me a few moments, then he smiled and bobbed his head in greeting. Just absolutely adorable!

The first time I went into a nearby restaurant to order sweet and sour pork 'to go,' we were all in for a surprise. I ordered it all in Korean. I hadn't realized the entire restaurant had stopped eating to listen to me until thunderous applause erupted. I was a little embarrassed, but mostly pretty proud of myself. I smiled and did the ubiquitous bow.

I've found that even if your accent is horrendous, the simple fact that you're attempting to speak a few words of the native language is met with delight and astonishment.

Another case in point.
I had taken the subway to Seohyeon (Soy-yun) subway station to browse at a bookstore. I stopped into the 'ladies.' No matter what part of the world you're in, the ladies restroom is always a busy place. While waiting in line, I noticed 2 elderly ladies were watching me intently. I'm just a novelty, I know, and their intent was not to be rude. So, being me, I gave my most brilliant smile and said annyeong haseyo (ahn-yahng hah-seh-yoh, hello.) I must admit, their reaction startled me a bit. Their faces wreathed in smiles, they burst out in a flood of Korean. Laughing at my apparently bemused expressions, one started patting me on the back. The other one was only about 4 1/2 feet tall. The closest place for her to pat was my derriere. The rest of the ladies in the room joined in the laughing, talking, and touching my hair and skin. I felt special.

In my opinion, everyone should travel abroad alone. Be in the minority for a change. It gives a person an entirely different perspective on life, on people, on what's important and definitely what's not.